Nouns inflected for Number

The word above comes in two forms: ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔥawaashish and ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔑᒡawaashishich. The second form is made up of the first form plus an ending: awaashish + ich.

The form ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔥawaashish is called the stem of the noun. When the form ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔥawaashish is used without any ending, it is called SINGULAR. It means that there is just one. When the second form ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔑᒡawaashishich is used, with the ending -ich , it is called PLURAL, and it means that there is more than one. This appears clearly when you use ‘one’, ‘two’ or ‘three’ with the noun:

ᐹᔨᒄ ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔥ

paayikw awaashish

one child

(singular)

ᓃᔓ ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔑᒡ

niishu awaashishich

two children

(plural)

ᓂᔥᑐ ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔑᒡ

nishtu awaashishich

three children

(plural)

This distinction between one and more than one is called NUMBER. Some nouns take another ending for their plural.

ᒥᔅᒋᓐ

mischin

a shoe

ᐊᔥᑐᑎᓐ

ashtutin

a hat

ᒥᔅᒋᓐᐦ

mischinh

shoes

ᐊᔥᑐᑎᓐᐦ

ashtutinh

hats

Nouns like ᐊᐧᐋᔑᔥawaashish are called ANIMATE Nouns and like ᒥᔅᒋᓐmischin are called INANIMATE Nouns (see Gender).